YV YFII ZFMEBO

It’s not that deep, you tell yourself as your boat comes to a stop. Your captain had just ensured the passengers that your boat was currently wafting above the deepest part of the ocean. Tourists jumped out of their assigned seats, with their waterproof cameras, to take pictures of the black water. You get up slowly and carefully. All of the tourist’s chatter come to a quiet inside your mind. Your footsteps sound like thundering pounds as you reach the side of the boat. Everyone is frozen. Frozen in time as you peek over the edge. A rushing thrill fills your body as you try and fight the excitement and fear. Your worst fear. Falling down into the creatures claws. Your friend had convinced you to come–to face your fear and get on with your life. But you can’t do it. You had discussed the plan with your friend. The plan was simple. You needed to stick to the plan. You were supposed to fall into the ocean and open your eyes underwater, so you could see the darkness. The captain would then pull you out, check to make sure you were ok, and then ask you what happened. You would explain that the deck was slippery and you fell off of the boat. It was perfect because you wouldn’t be blamed and you would have faced your fear. But now that the time had come, you aren’t so sure. Didn’t he say it was the deepest part of the ocean? Didn’t he say earlier that they’re had been a legend of a beast that ate boats that traveled out here? Or was that your imagination running wild again? “Just do it.” Your friend whispers in your ear. You take a deep breath and start to lean over the railing. You lean until your feet leave the deck and your head hits the icy surface of a cold, dark world. You keep your eyes closed and, although you can hear screaming up above, you don’t open your eyes. You are too frightened. You keep growing colder and colder as the voices above you grow smaller and smaller. Something is wrong. They were supposed to have pulled you up by now. You feel something slimy touch your leg and your eyes burst open. Ignoring the searing pain of the salt water, you look down at your leg to see nothing but inky blackness. Your head jerks upward and you see a faint shine of light where the boat is and you’re sinking deeper and deeper by the second. You need to get out. You have to get out! You kick the open water, starting to move slowly towards the surface, when you hear it. The sound that makes you stop dead. A very low growl emits from the darkness below you. Your heart beats faster than you thought possible and you start to swim for your life. You don’t know where it is, all you know is that it’s big and it’s coming for you. You use your arms to propel yourself upward and you gain speed as the surface comes into clearer view. The growl gets louder and is piercing your very soul. Your brain begs for oxygen as you try and swim faster. Your muscles are screaming in pain as you swim for your life. Then you see it. A couple hundred feet ahead of you, you can just make out a very large beast heading straight for you. Closer and closer you come to the surface and closer and closer the beast comes to you. You’re trying your best to reach the surface but it seems impossible. Suddenly, inches away from the surface, the beast disappears. You think it’s dumb luck that he disappear and it puts a relived smile on your face. Then you hear a growl that freezes your heart, rendering your arms and legs useless. And it’s coming from right below you. You look down to face it and realize what it is. It’s fear. Your fear. In a physical shape and form of the beast that haunts your darkest nightmares. A scream emits from your lips as you float frozen inside it’s piercing eyes. It opens up its mouth to reveal slimy, red teeth the size of school buses and jaws the size of five story houses. It’s eyes are the size of lakes and they are as black as the sea surrounding it. You snap away from it’s eyes and bring your arms shooting above your head as your fingers break the surface of the ocean. Arms reach down and pull you out of the water as a first aid kit is administered to the new found cuts all over your legs. Back at the hospital a man speaks to you. He is wearing sunglasses and a pure white suit to match his hair. He tells you that you saw nothing. He tells you that you slipper off the deck and fainted. He tells you that you were simply dreaming. As he turns to walk out the door, he glances back at you–laying on a hospital bed–and slowly reaches up to remove his shades. He reveals eyes of inky black liquid, the same black you saw in the beasts eyes. “Fear may come in many shapes and forms but one thing always stay the same. I am everywhere.” He says as he puts on his shades and disappears into a hazy, black smoke.